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C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age...

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by cwerdna, Oct 10, 2011.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

    They didn't have much trouble w/the car, but overall, their opinion was pretty negative.

    I was puzzled back when 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius, 1998 Chevy Metro - Comparison Tests ranked the Insight above the 3rd gen Prius so perhaps this long-term wrap up is a backpedal from that.

    The Insight also got significantly slower in the 0-60 and 1/4 mile. C&D was puzzled with it as was I. Generally cars stay about the same or get slightly faster in those tests, after time.

    The links in the above article are goofy because in the print version, the article ends with the words "left us wanting". Online, it currently has "Continued..." which leads to page 3 of an introduction at the 2075 mile, 2 month mark.
     
    #1 cwerdna, Oct 10, 2011
  2. Roadburner440

    Roadburner440 Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    If they drive the car normally like how they indicate in the article there is good reason that the Insight is doing significantly worse over time. True CVT transmissions that utilize rubber belts wear out over time, and beating on them makes this even worse. This is something Dodge Caliber owners quickly realized when the CVT transmissions started dropping like flies not to far out of warranty. Honda will rebuild the transmissions, but Chrysler would opt to do full transmission replacements costing the owners large sums of money. This is the main reason I refuse to buy any car with a conventional CVT transmission. They have their place in the world, but people that desire to go fast should stay away from them.
     
    #2 Roadburner440, Oct 10, 2011
  3. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    Car CVTs don't use rubber belts unless you go back as far as the underpowered DAF.
     
    #3 xs650, Oct 10, 2011
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    I was unaware of the DAF until now, but the newer car at http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...-driven-1980-kv-mini-1-seattle-auto-show.html used a belt driven CVT. From memory and pics online and that I have, it was a rubber belt.
     
    #4 cwerdna, Oct 10, 2011
  5. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    People who desire should go fast should stay away from the Dodge Caliber - that has got to be the worst/slowest car (because it's a wannabe-SUV) I've ever had to drive. I can hardly believe they replaced the passable Neon SRT4 with the (embarrassment to SRT) SRT4 torque-steer-hell Caliber.
     
    #5 a_gray_prius, Oct 10, 2011
  6. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    If you find a modern production street legal in the US car with a rubber drive belt, let us know.
     
    #6 xs650, Oct 11, 2011
  7. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    If not rubber, then what do they use?
     
    #7 Trollbait, Oct 11, 2011
  8. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Re: C&D: 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi - Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: Some things get better with age..

    Insight has always used metal belts.

    The inabilitlity of the civic hybrid to keeps its engine off stopped me from buying it. The C&D review didn't take that enough into account, and thought hybrid buyers were much more price sensitive. I"m sure the prius C came out of toyota's desire to compete on price and that is a good thing.
     
    #8 austingreen, Oct 11, 2011
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